With Kimbo Slice in Bellator, could 'Cro Cop' be next? Bellator 'definitely' interested

TEMECULA, Calif. – Bellator MMA made waves this weekend with the signing of Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (4-2 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), but another big name free agent could be on the roster in the near future.

Bellator MMA President Scott Coker admitted he’s interesting in bringing Croatian kickboxer Mirko “Crop Cop” Filipovic (30-11-2) to the promotion and has actively discussed the possibility with the 40-year-old striker.

“We’ve had several discussions,” Coker said of Filipovic. “I’m not sure to what extent he’s ready to come to America and fight, but we’ve had some conversations.

Coker spoke briefly backstage with a small group of media following Friday’s Bellator 132 event, which MMAjunkie attended.

Of course, conversations don’t necessarily indicate intentions. But Coker, who attended Filipovic’s New Year’s Eve fight in Japan admitted he was impressed but what he saw in the TKO victory over Satoshi Ishii. And when pressed in his interest level, Coker had no problem answering the simple question, “Is he a guy you’re interested in?”

“Definitely,” Coker said. “If you saw how good he looked in Japan, it was pretty impressive. So we’re going to continue to see how things go. But these things take time sometimes, and we’ll see.”

Check out the video above to hear more from Coker, including who’s interested in welcoming Slice to the cage, how the bearded brawler will balance his MMA and boxing career, how the Bellator boss’ discussion went with Fedor Emelianenko, how Bellator MMA will assist with the revival of Japanese MMA and more.

And for more on Bellator MMA’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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